Sherdog.com’s Pound-for-Pound Top 10

Even after relinquishing his stranglehold on the middleweight
division, Anderson
Silva still has a spot among the sport’s current
pound-for-pound greats.

The Brazilian striker, who for years sat atop this list alongside
welterweight ace Georges St.
Pierre, went down in the second round at UFC 162 courtesy of a
Chris
Weidman left hook, ending a reign the likes of which the UFC
may not see again. In this update, Silva’s stellar résumé over the
past seven years -- which included an Octagon record 16 consecutive
wins -- keeps him ranked just above the man who knocked him out.
That seems almost certain to change, however, as the constantly
improving Weidman will take on top contenders to defend his shiny
new belt, while Silva declared after the loss that he is done
fighting for the title.

Replacing “The Spider” as ruler of these rankings is 25-year-old
UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Since claiming the belt from Mauricio Rua
just over two years ago, Jones has looked nearly untouchable,
defending his title five times and finishing four of those
challengers. While his April victory over Chael Sonnen
was widely derided as a mismatch, Jones’ next defense is
unquestionably legit and figures to be far tougher, as the Greg
Jackson pupil will face once-beaten Swede Alexander
Gustafsson.

Facing an undersized opponent he was expected to handle with ease,
Jones still impressed with his April 27 demolition of Chael
Sonnen. The first-round TKO tied “Bones” with Tito Ortiz for
a record fifth defense of the UFC light heavyweight title and, more
importantly, paved the way for even bigger and more competitive
bouts. When the 25-year-old mends from a nasty toe injury, he will
face Swedish “Mauler” Alexander
Gustafsson in the main event of UFC 165 on Sept. 21.

St. Pierre kept his chokehold on the 170-pound class by dominating
Nick
Diaz in a five-round rout at UFC 158, adding the brash
Californian to a list of victims which includes Carlos
Condit, Jake Shields,
Jon
Fitch, B.J. Penn and
Matt
Hughes. Still only four months removed from an 18-month hiatus
due to ACL reconstruction, GSP said after the bout that he was
looking to take a break. When he returns at November’s UFC 167, St.
Pierre will have to deal with another tough challenger in Johny
Hendricks.

In his first title defense since January 2012, Aldo held off
hard-charging former lightweight champion Frankie
Edgar in the UFC 156 headliner. Shortly thereafter, 155-pound
contender Anthony
Pettis informed UFC President Dana White that he would like to
drop a weight class to face the Brazilian champion. After initially
balking at the match, Aldo and his team agreed to square off with
Pettis at UFC
163 on Aug. 3, only to see Pettis sidelined by a knee injury.
Instead, Aldo will put his bout on the line against the popular
“Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung.

For the first time in 17 UFC appearances, Silva’s night ended
without his hand being raised at UFC 162. After taunting, baiting
and clowning Chris Weidman for little more than a round, the
Brazilian met his demise when the challenger connected with a left
hook and follow-up punches to put a shocking and abrupt end to
Silva’s championship reign 1:18 into round two. Until he steps into
the Octagon again, the debate will rage on as to why “The Spider”
suffered the first loss of his UFC career. Was it his apparent
disregard for Weidman’s skills or was it something deeper, such as
a waning motivation to compete? Silva has been promised an
immediate rematch; it remains to be seen if he is willing to take
it.

After a dominant victory over Nate Diaz in
December, “Smooth” returned to his habit of winning closely
contested decisions at
UFC on Fox 7. Paired with former Strikeforce titlist Gilbert
Melendez, Henderson held off his foe to earn a razor-thin split
verdict. There will be no immediate rematch for “El Nino,” however,
as Henderson will next defend his crown against surging Canadian
T.J.
Grant. While Henderson has yet to finish an opponent in seven
Octagon appearances, his resume -- which also includes wins over
Frankie
Edgar (twice), Jim Miller
and Clay
Guida -- remains one of the strongest in the sport today.

Velasquez celebrated Memorial Day in Las Vegas with his first
successful defense of the UFC heavyweight strap. The sport’s top
big man steamrolled Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva at UFC 160, setting up
an October rubber match with Junior dos
Santos, whom Velasquez dominated across five rounds in December
to take back the belt. Dos Santos remains the only blemish on
Velasquez’s record, which includes first-round finishes of Silva
(twice), Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock
Lesnar.

For months, Weidman claimed that he was the man to dethrone
reigning middleweight champion and pound-for-pound king Anderson
Silva. In the UFC 162 main event, he backed up his talk, knocking
out the Brazilian a little more than a minute into the second
frame. The Serra-Longo Fight Team member has demonstrated rapid
progression in each fight, and his blend of wrestling, jiu-jitsu
and constantly improving standup makes him a formidable obstacle
for any potential challenger. While Weidman is game for a return
meeting with Silva, other interesting opponents -- such as the
surging Vitor Belfort -- could await if “The Spider” elects to end
his championship aspirations.

As we begin to wonder what various pound-for-pound greats might
look like fighting a weight class above the one they dominate,
Johnson is becoming one of the few truly successful fighters to
actually fulfill the “drop a weight class and dominate”
expectation. Johnson remained unbeaten at flyweight and established
himself as a champion with staying power at UFC on Fox 6. In front
of a national television audience, “Mighty Mouse” survived the
knockout power of John Dodson
early, then had plenty left in reserve for the championship rounds
to close out a unanimous decision victory in his first 125-pound
title defense. Johnson’s second title defense will also take place
on network television, as he takes on surging contender John Moraga
at
UFC on Fox 8.

At UFC on Fox 7, Melendez proved he belonged among the divisional
and pound-for-pound elite by giving reigning UFC 155-pound champion
Benson
Henderson all he could handle in the headliner. It was not
enough to get the nod from two of the three cageside judges,
however, as the Skrap Pack member’s pace slowed slightly down the
stretch en route to losing a controversial split decision. The
narrow nature of the defeat means that “El Nino” will not be too
far removed from title consideration. A bout against Diego Sanchez
appears to be in the cards for the fall.

Barao successfully defended the UFC interim bantamweight strap
against 22-year-old prospect Michael McDonald at UFC on Fuel TV 7
in February. With a resume that includes triumphs over Brad
Pickett, Scott Jorgensen, Urijah Faber and the aforementioned
“Mayday,” Barao has earned his place atop the division, even if his
title comes with a “temporary” label. A second title defense
against Eddie Wineland at UFC 161 fell through when the Brazilian
suffered a foot injury; the bout has been rebooked for UFC 165 on
Sept. 21.

With the entry of Chris Weidman, previously ninth-ranked Joseph
Benavidez falls outside the pound-for-pound top 10.